Her Story

Mary Ann Higgins was the last woman to be hanged on Whitley Common, about a mile and a half from the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum. She was convicted of the murder of her Uncle, William Higgins, whom she kept house for on Spon Street. Mary Ann was only 19 when she was executed on 11th August 1831.

Although Mary Ann admitted to the murder in her declaration read out at the trial she blamed her fiancé Edward Clarke. She claimed that Edward beat her, encouraged her to steal from her uncle and that it was his idea to poison William with arsenic.

The trial was held at Warwick Crown Court on Tuesday 9th August. The judge took more than two and a half hours to sum up the case, but the jury found Mary Ann guilty of murder in less than ten minutes. Edward was found not guilty of aiding and abetting her.

How the skull came to the Herbert

Mary Ann's head was acquired by the museum in 1972. The donor had been left it in a will, and it seems to have been kept with the City of Coventry police surgeon for some time. It is possible that her head was once at the School of Art and Design with the rest of her bones, although the complete history of her remains is not known.

What should happen to Mary Ann's skull?

Keeper of History Collections, Ali Wells, said

'I would like people to remember that this is not an ordinary museum object, but the head of a nineteen year old woman who died less than 200 years ago. Reports at the time say that Mary Ann had two clergymen read a prayer each for her before she was executed. However the skull and Mary Ann's story are an important part of Coventry's history. It should be recorded and remembered.'

Chris Kirby, Head of Collections and Programmes, said

'We haven't ruled out displaying it in the future but we need to look at all our options. Museum guidelines have encouraged us to consult the public about it and have to make a decision based on that. Our main options are to either keep it in the collection and perhaps put it on temporary display in a sensitive way, or have the skull buried.'

Have your say

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